Plant of the Week – Using Candytuft in Your Landscaping

I found out this week that my home has a mote around it during heavy rain! What an incredible safety feature to have built in to any property! I guess I need to add drainage work to the to do list around the house! The Spring floods are not all bad though, the vegetation is soaking up the mixture of rain and sun and flourishing. I love the lush vibrant look that accompanies Spring! This week I want to discuss a wonderful Spring flowering perennial that will make your landscape vibrant, Candytuft.

Why Use Candytuft in your Landscaping

This slow spreading plant can cover an area of your landscape beds with a dense carpet of green foliage. It blooms in a profuse flush of white blooms from March-May that covers the entirety of the plant, hiding nearly all of the foliage. Great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, you will find yourself watching this plant for more than just its flowers! It is even tolerant of rabbits and deer! Add Low maintenance needs and drought resistance and you have a plant that is a must have in any full sun landscape.

Where to Use Candytuft in your Landscaping

I would highly recommend using this along a walkway or around a water feature, like a pond. This plant grows very naturally in among boulders, filling in space with a lush spread of color. Try using it in the foreground of your landscape bed as a low growing pop of color that compliments nearly any other full sun perennial or shrub.

How to Care for your Candytuft

Truthfully there is not much you  need to do. Provide Candytuft with full sun and moist well draining soil to get the most bang for your buck. However, Candytuft will tolerate partial shade at the cost of flowering abundance. Being semi-evergreen here in Indiana, you may need to cut out some dead each Spring, depending on the harshness of the winter. That’s about the extent of the work though! Low cost for a high reward, the gardeners dream!

What Does Eagleson Landscape Co. Think?

A little lack luster after Spring, but still an excellent landscaping choice, Candytuft is a great slow growing ground cover for a smaller space in a full sun landscape. I Love the Spring flush of color and low maintenance needs, as well as how it attracts butterflies. I also really like how it naturalizes and grows between rocks, creating a beautiful “always been there” look. I will grade this plant as an A and encourage you to look into whether it is the right choice for your landscape! Read more about it here or comment to get more information about if its right for you!

Sam Eagleson